


Present

by theAsh0



Series: surviving paradise [3]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Angst, Breaking the Fourth Wall, F/M, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Healing, POV First Person, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 19:55:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20013910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theAsh0/pseuds/theAsh0
Summary: this are the present time chapters. originally meant to be read in tandem as presented in "surviving paradise", but just reading these is fine if you just want a growth/ family/ slow burn love story.





	1. 1x2-1=1 breathe

**Author's Note:**

> special thanks to my betas, over8000 and meganechan.

I am  _ free _ . 

Laughter spills from me, fills this little Earth valley and flows against these Namek fools around me, causes them to recoil. Then it bounces back at me from trees and hills at the far end of the clearing, treating even me to that harbinger of death. Like a child’s cry before I strike, like the city sirens blaring before I raid, like the cracks from your Earth’s core before I end it...music to my ears.

Yet before I indulge, I breathe in deeply, bask in the sun, take in the scent of life —of flowers and the wind around me, and calm my mirth. Let it never be said that I am ungrateful for this second chance, that I do not appreciate this unprecedented mistake. Reclining under a tree, I drink in being alive—Alive, yet  _ free _ ! There is nothing;  _ nothing  _ that can stand against me now. My supreme rule over this planet and the entire galaxy is not an option. No, it is a certainty. My bloody reign will span far and wide. Yes;  _ this _ is my calm before I storm. 

Then I break up once more, unable to hold in the laughter. Am I the only one who gets the enormity of the joke? “You Nameks _ messed up  _ your wish! _ ”  _

Ah, those shocked, innocent faces; what a treat! The silly creatures cannot even comprehend their own stupidity. They got their wish, but not what they wanted. Serves those stupid green slugs right. And you too, _ Human! _

What? You thought you could simply undo the damage done? Wash away the blood with a simple wish on your Dragon Balls? You’re all fools, if you do. The Namek village I killed won’t be coming back, but instead you have  _ me. _ Oh, how it must sting: to wish for those you have lost only to get the one who took their lives instead. The one you hate instead of those you love… Sweet irony never tasted better.

“That’s right.” I smirk, then bask in their reactions: shock, anger, and of course fear. Even as the surrounding wildlife returns to its soft hum, the cluster of Nameks keep their focus on me. A wise decision, and I cannot help but rub it in. “Be careful what you wish for.”

As for my wish, human? Well, I missed my chance. Got cheated out of it.  _ Murdered _ out of it. Still, it’s fine. This is better.  _ Way better. _ Do you wonder why, human? Well, I am not sure I can explain in terms you can understand.  I guess you could say I escaped the game. Or, maybe this is a new game, but this time I shall control the rules. Heh. Maybe I won't even kill you all. Maybe I’ll have you little humans dance for me like puppets, weak and mindless fools that you are. Let you dance on strings of fear, and cut all other ties till there is  _ nothing else left _ . No, I didn't think you’d understand.

Frieza is dead. Kakarot is dead. Anything and everything that would stand against me is gone. I am not just the last Saiyan, I am the last Elite. I have no duties, no debts. No master to keep me in check, no useless third-class left to drag me down, nor a traitorous idiot at my back... I am completely free to do as I please! 

Yet before I can choose the most satisfactory course of action, you creatures again prove I’ve overestimated your intelligence —Impossible as it may have seemed! Incredulously, two up-start children walk up to me; one little bald Namekian, one near-human, and  _ challenge _ me _. _ “Vegeta! Have a little respect!” the dark-haired boy stamps his foot at me. “These people just lost their families, their Elder, their planet, and you...” He shields the other child —his Namek friend— with his body, untamed mane swirling with ki. Then he advances a step and stutters some weak cusses at me, the most stinging of which is so far is  _ ‘rude’ _ , thrown at me in a high-pitched wail. 

How amusing. Well, if anything the boy has guts, yes? This one is half Saiyan, half human; did you know? Something I would not have guessed possible little over a year ago. A crossbreed, and a healthy one at that. A creature one could nearly mistake for Saiyan, though with your genes mixed in I suppose it makes sense he has a double dose of stupid. Even if his eloquence fails him, his bravery does impress me, as did his strength did back on Namek. 

The boy might be of use to me yet. So, I simply meet his disrespect with another mad cackle. When I finally collect myself I simply lean back against my tree, and offer the child a chance to join the _winning_ side. “Ho, please! What have _any_ of these green freaks done to earn my respect, except for _dying_ _pathetically?_ ”

I smirk as the Namek adults close around the children, joining up into a large flock. The children both mumble about healing me, about resurrecting me. But I only listen to their body language, as the boy allows the Nameks to pool around him. So, he chooses these pathetic walking plants over his Prince by blood? Very well; it’s not as if I  _ needed _ him.

The Earth-born Namek fighter also joins in, inching between me and the boy. One arm stretches out to shield the children as he glowers down at me with menace. Well fuck, I thought I’d already killed this one before, but  _ fine _ . You want to unite and stand against me, like you did the first time I came to Earth? What a joke. You all are a pathetic joke to me, human. You and the Nameks are  _ weak _ . Without Kakarot to take up your slack, you’ll have no chance at all!

So be it. You’ve all sealed your fate. But don't worry, I shall be a merciful executioner. Most of you will never even know what hit you. Well, this lot will of course, I am going to make them suffer. They’ve  _ earned  _ it. 

Tension rises to new heights as this ragtag team of misfits drop down in defensive stances, aware that battle is imminent. I just smirk up at them, still reclined under my tree. Yes, there’s a lot of them; must be around a hundred altogether. Yet I’m not worried. I’ve faced worse odds; taken more lives than all these so-called warriors put together. For them to defeat me would be like ants taking down a lion. 

A ridiculous concept, until you have felt a swarm of killer ants come for you. Did you know, human, that there are worlds where thousands upon thousands of workers will throw themselves at an enemy to save their queen? Being swarmed again and again for hours on end is... not a pleasant memory. And these human fighters, there’s a reason I ganged up with them on Namek. They are tenacious... No, I  _ will not back down! _

“Right, right!” a high voice calls. The owner’s silhouette steps between us as she claps her hands. “Let’s ease up on the testosterone, boys!”

It’s her again. Blue hair and a tattered yellow-black jumpsuit; she puts her hands on her hips with an air of authority as she turns to face me. You know her; that woman that nearly had a heart attack when I cornered her on Namek. Yetnow, she gives me a radiating smile. “I bet we’ll all get along better after a meal and a hot bath.”

“Tch.” She is of no consequence; not a warrior. Her fearlessness compared to how she acted on Namek still has me wrong-footed, but I dare say her lack of respect will come to bite her in the tail-end soon enough. I turn my nose up at her and return my focus back to the child. 

Yet he too has been distracted. The newly appointed Namek Elder stands between us, his back to me and both his green-clawed hands rest on the half-breed’s shoulders. “Please do not seek a quarrel for us, Gohan our roots are all connected; thus, fighting _ for _ us will only  _ hurt _ us in the end.”

I try to keep my relaxed posture, torn between the need to unleash the buildup of adrenaline and the more tactical part of my brain warning me to bide my time. The half-breed child talks softly, but I can make out the elder’s answer. “—and yet severing this one would hardly bring them back…”

Fuck. The audacity! The very idea has me to my feet, shaking with rage. I’m just about to begin my journey towards galactic subjection, and this _ talking plant _ thinks to show me mercy? Like I am a common criminal? Like I’ve committed some  _ crime? _

Well, fuck them. I’m worth  _ more; _ So much more that their death at my whim was my right. My gift, to those villagers; my  _ mercy _ . I’ll prove it, too. Prove my strength; unleash the boiling lava in my veins. The half-breed might well be the closest thing to a challenge Earth has left. Next, we’ll pit the last of the Saiyans against the last of the Nameks and  _ see who wins.  _ My survival will prove me right, make my word law. 

And this pathetic Elder gets to go first. I’ll shoot him right through his stupid back, because he just relinquished his rights to a honorable death. Fucking weak windbag thinks he’s better than me? Well, I’ve got a surprise for you right here. Gathering my ki in one hand, I step forward.

Or, at least I try. The ki pulls like heavy syrup, drips through my fingers almost as fast as I can accumulate it. When I step forward, I stumble and almost fall to my knees. I freeze, move back to lean back against my tree once more, and surreptitiously check if anyone noticed. It doesn't seem so; all attention is on the Elder right now. So I turn my attention inwards and try to discern what is wrong. 

As soon as I do my stomach groans at me in angry, empty resentment. Food. What was the last time I ate? I cannot even remember. I’m spent; at the end of my reserves. Beneath the euphoria; the thrill of finally bringing about the tyrant Frieza’s end and coming out the winner, there’s nothing left but a bone-weary ache. Death has not cured my exhaustion, has not sated my hunger. Suddenly the woman’s offer is enticingly seductive; the promise of a meal ahead is the last thing keeping me standing. 

No, fighting right now is hardly to my advantage. I should at least wait until I am replenished. After all, this time my hubris could cost me more than just my tail. Yes, I think I’ll just stand here as the woman joins in the useless discussion on roots. It foolishly distracts them and overcomes any self-preservation instincts, but I think they just mentioned food, “and water and air. These we call first tier needs,” I hear the elder lecture.

_ “Feh.”  _ Tilting my face up to the sun, I relax just slightly and let the humans and Nameks chatter around me. When considered objectively, my streak of luck is inconceivable.  The two greatest warriors in the galaxy have ended each other, leaving me as the new undisputed number one. Somehow I’ve been transported to this lush green world, whole, alive, and…

The Super Saiyan may have gone down with planet Namek, but: “you can easily fix this with your magic”, I explain with a half-raised hand, confused that none see what’s in front of them. As for me, I wouldn't mind fighting that oaf of a Saiyan again. It was great fun. An honest fight; refreshing. There is a poetic justice in someone so simple ending one as twisted and deceitful as Frieza. Odd, perhaps, that he could succeed where I failed. Yet there is little reason to fear that third-class. I beat him once, I can do it again.

“You really  _ are _ smart!” The blue haired woman that praises me, odd thing she is. I cock open a lazy eye as she flutters my way, and I resolve to blast her head off if she adds ‘for a monkey’ to her words. But I am left waiting for it. Perhaps she really does think I’m clever. 

She’s right. though. I am smart. Smart enough to know I got lucky by  _ not _ getting my wish. Lucky to have Frieza lose his patience and kill me; lucky to have been resurrected and moved to a planet with no possible way of getting tracked here. I’ve effectively faked my own death, fulfilled my life’s goals, cleared my debts and gone straight to a paradise that’s just begging to be taken.

All I need to do is recuperate, bide my time and,..

_ I did not get my wish, but I got what I wanted. _

_ I am free. _


	2. 2x2-1=3 feast

When the rabble of Nameks finally makes it down the airship’s ramp and I get my first glimpse of where we are to stay, the Elder in front of me finally stops his incessant stream of words. I suppose he means to express his delight in finding the offered lodgings better than expected. But the way he stands gaping, flapping his jaw like a fish out of water is downright pathetic. “It’s..”

“Beautiful!” A Namek child laughs, skipping past us. Kakarot’s half-breed too zooms by, squealing happily as they run and fly around gardens fit for a palace. Behind a tableau of well-kept gardens and immaculate forrestation stands a majestic dome marked with a grand ‘C’. The structure looks like a hub with industry and business going on behind every window I spot, yet the walkway from which we enter is clear of staff and workers. Only animals and residentials come through here, it seems. And plenty of the first of those too, judging by the strange creatures that regard us stoically as we pass. Are they some manner of pets?

At the great doors, the Elder turns towards the woman with a self-conscious smile. “Lady Bulma did not mention she was royalty!”

She laughs, pretending to be embarrassed, and crouches down to pick up a furry little creature that had ran up to welcome her as soon as the doors opened. “Oh, I’m not. My family _ is  _ the richest on the planet though. So as you can see, we have plenty of space to house you all.”

“Hn.” I put in, trying to bring home the fact that I am not impressed. Not impressed by far. I have demolished more pretentious palaces, stomped through more cultured walkways, crushed better maintained weeds under my great Oozaru feet. Yet the cultured flowerbeds and manufactured ponds do make a liar of her. These are royal gardens, and their purpose is to overwhelm us visitors. Opening her home to me may be a gesture of good will, or a show of force; I have yet to conclude which. As I said, I am hardly impressed. But I will tread carefully. 

The Elder, oblivious to plays of power, points at a window as we move through the corridors: “Earth still has true woods; that I’d live the day to see such, even if not on Namek!”

I snort at the fool, but the woman is the one to set him straight: “Oh  _ no!  _ This is just our garden. If you want, I’ll take you around to a real forrest. They’re a lot fuller.” 

She throws her hair over her shoulder and gives me a short glance. I notice that she has blue eyelashes and blue eyes as well.. What an odd creature. But just as quickly she faces forward and marches ahead of the hundred creatures that filed in behind us, moving towards the end of the oppressive corridor. “I am sorry about your planet..”

“Perhaps it was inevitable..." The Elder sighs. "We’d already lost so much; failed to protect our trees when it mattered,.. Working the fields to bring them back might have been plugging a broken damn..”

“Fah!” I growl, no longer able to keep my peace. “What a waste of time! If you lot had spent your time learning to fight instead of _ gardening _ , perhaps you might still have had a planet left to grow your pathetic trees on. Not to mention that  _ fat mountain  _ of an elder and his dragon balls.”

The new Elder trips and turns away, his skin a pale lime green, and the woman snaps at me with an intake of breath. "Vegeta!"

Yet, I’m at the end of my patience. Only a fool would worry about trees when faced with survival. You’re supposed to worry about yourself. Make sure you’re strong enough; able enough to push your own needs to the forefront. Oh, what a coincidence...The strongest person alive now is  _ me _ , and I do have some needs. “Where’s that  _ bloody food  _ already?”

Bulma blinks, taps her chin with a finger, then shugs and opens the door at the end of the hallway we’ve reached. “Right in here.”

From the doorway a plethora of aromas assault us. As does a strange, blonde woman, who teeters towards us with an unnatural amount of enthusiasm. 

“Welcome,” she starts, taking the furry thing from Bulma smoothly as a waterfall of words spill from her. But she is derailed when the Elder Namek holds up his hand. "I am afraid we do not require more than water and sunlight. I am sorry if we've caused you work."

The blonde looks as shocked and outraged as any sane person would be at this, but any misconception I might harbour about her mental health quickly falls away as that maniacal smile zeros in on me. She latches on to my arm like some manner of octopus and guides me towards the table, throwing phrases my way like: “What a healthy young man,” “Must have quite the appetite” and “After such a grand adventure.” The nonsense and drivel just keeps on spewing from her. It is unnerving, but I tune her out the moment a plate in front of me is piled up with nourishment, and I can indulge in dinner.

Dinner… That’s an understatement. Apparently the woman had actually meant to feed a hundred Nameks, though I doubt a hundred of them could be seated at this table, nor fit into the kitchen adjourning. Yet It is bigger than one would expect for a normal family home, and the table is stacked with enough food to fill ten Saiyans. And not with some cheap-ass rations or something, human. No; amazing, crunchy, home-cooked foods. Meats and curries and sweets. Flatbreads served with dips, fowl and fish seasoned to perfection. 

I’m not familiar with most of them, and some strike me as disgusting; like the white worms of dough floating in soup. But the smells give it away; it’s all delicious. My favourite right this moment are the balls of deceptively simple pastry, wafting aromas that entice one to just bite down to surprise you with meats and sauce inside...

I cannot remember ever enjoying the simple act of eating as much as tonight, but if I did it must have been before I left Planet Vegeta. Nappa always did complain my palate was spoiled and I was too picky an eater. Well, I don't intend to take that traitor’s advice again, but I will make up for any meal cut short tonight. These sweet spoils of victory are only my just reward, long overdue.

Too bad the food is accompanied by constant chattering from the blond. Oh, you’d think I was used to the constant flow of words from my scouter channels do you? Well, yes, I guess I didn't even notice it after a while. But the silence I’ve had since destroying it has been so tranquil... I’m not sure I can deal with such jabbering again. No; I refuse to even try.

I offer little in the form of replies. I warn her twice that I will be likely to blast her if she keeps talking, but the woman seems to be  _ amused _ by the concept. Other humans flutter in and out of the kitchen, yet those lucky bastards only get a cursory greeting as they pile up a plate and run off again. I consider taking a dish off somewhere out of her reach as well, but I would need more than I can carry to sate my appetite.

I gesture at the blue haired one frantically; warning her to get this creature away from me. Surely, she wants this woman alive. This is her mother, I think? Right? She’d want her mother to live another day… I think?

Infuriatingly, the bitch grins at me sweetly, and waves. “Bon appetit, Vegeta!”

She smiles, and turns from me with a plate of her own, only half-full. “I’m sorry I don't have time to chat now, I have to settle the other guests. But my mother will be happy to keep you company.” And she’s out of the kitchen.

Oh, obviously the mother wants to keep me company. Thanks for that. Who would have guessed? The blonde likes nothing better than throw words at me, so it seems. Now, there was a time when I was capable of handling the constant bickering of a whole squad in my ear, but now that I’ve been without teammates, and without PTO poison in my ear a while... I have to say silence can never be overrated.

When I give the woman a third warning she flutters her eyelashes and says something about wishing she was twenty years younger. I decide at that point I am done with dinner, and stand abruptly. The food she cooked was amazing, therefore it would have been a waste if I had to carry out my threats. Yet we have reached that moment where I can no longer vouch for my actions. I think I’ll go out into the garden instead, and enjoy the incoming twilight. I’ve always found flying from the lit side of a planet to the dark calming, but staying stationary while the planet’s natural rotation does it for me would be a novelty.

The woman, finally silenced, blinks at me, yet recovers before I even make out of the room. “Oh, I apologise! You must be exhausted. I’ll show you to your room right away!” She guides me to an airy open room, drapes fluttering around open windows, and shows me the side-room that hold my own toilet and cleansing facilities. When she leaves after explaining the facilities, I close the door and try out the shower. 

It is divine. I mean, you humans may be lazy weaklings, but you sure do know how to enjoy the finer things in life. First the food, now combining getting clean with hot water? I’m beginning to think you lot will indulge in pleasure in everything you do.

I take my time getting clean and warm, then even more time figuring out the human clothing left for me. It doesn’t stretch and it’s held together with buttons and zippers, but it’s hardly rocket science and the dark pants with a blue shirt are at least in my colors.

When I am finally done I wipe away the condensation from the mirror and give myself a good look. I cannot help but grin; ho, but it’s perfect! The clothes don't just fit, it’s like they were designed for me. My physique; fah, I can hardly believe I didn't realize it before. Yes, I’m nearly thankful for losing my tail right now, because for once in my life.. I’m going to fit in  _ perfectly _ . That’s right. I look  _ human _ . 

When I open the door again, chuckling to myself, I am met with an unwanted surprise. The mother is still here. She closed the window and curtains, put on a light, and is fussing with the coverings of a giant square flat pillow. She smiles back at me when I enter and continues on, clueless to my unwelcoming glare: “I hope the bed will be to you liking. It’s my favourite brand, but I’m thinking now you might find it a little soft.”

She moves back, eyes closed in a wide smile, and places her hands in front as if waiting for something. I sneer back for a full minute before hazarding a guess as to what might be expected of me. With trepidation, I carefully move forward and put a hand on the sheets, pushing down a bit. The bed groans, and I nearly wince at the sound before I realize it might not be meant for this kind of small-point pressure, and ease off.

It makes another squeaking sound when I let go, and if I had not known where I saw such a bed before, I certainly remember now. In a brothel. It all makes sense, doesn't it? Of course, you humans  _ would _ join sex with sleeping. Why not? Joining pleasure with necacity again. Again, I applaud your creativity to indulge, but.. is this woman soliciting me? I have to repress a shudder at the thought. Nappa will probably roll over in his grave for me turning down the first thing with tits in over a decade, but.. she just freaks me the fuck out!

It’s my first day on Earth and I’m already missing my pod. I clear my throat. “I think I’d like to.. step out for a bit first?”

The ditz —Buggy? gushes at me about her marriage some more, then eventually comes around to the relevant information. “Your green friends are in the recreation room, I bet they’ll be happy to see you!” 

I snort at her.  _ No they would not.  _ They’re not quite  _ that _ stupid.

“Or you could go into town; it’s right down the road. If you’d like, I’ll lend you a car. Or, I’ll drive you there myself. Some people act surprised about this, but I’m actually a pretty decent driver…” She keeps on chatting, not even noticing as I stand and then reopen the window. 

I smirk at my reflection in the glass as I levitate through. Here’s hoping for an actual crowd to blend into. I’ll be that proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing, and I’ve finally found the kind of backwater that wouldn’t know this famous wolf even if he did show up with armor and scouter attached. Or, well.. let’s not test that theory. 

Only as I speed off do I hear the mother's high-pitch calling after me, telling me: ”have a good time!”


	3. 3x2-1=5 shirt

The town is but a minute’s flight away, and I land to walk as I investigate. Most houses are dark or sparsely lit, but some establishments emit light, billboards and lit-up text in some human language I cannot read but universally understand. 

The dwellings have little likeness to the facilities that had sprung up around Freeza’s planetary bases. Everything here is obsessively ordered with real roads, light and signs helping what little traffic there is about safely on its way. The houses are made of concrete and suggest comfortable living quarters inside. Only after walking over five minutes, do I find the first and only homeless person. His shoes are tattered and he wears an old coat, yet he does not seem desperate or even starving.

And there’s the advertisements. Hardly something unique to your planet, human. Most any society past its stone age has billboards in some manner. But, the colorful ladies smiling down at me from well-lit walls are.. strangely familiar. Sure, I suppose a real Saiyan woman would show a bit more tail when invoking the amount of familiarity in most posters, and no Saiyan would be caught dead with the colors some of these women put in their hair. Or the paint on their faces. But if I squint… 

After a brisk walk through mostly quiet street, and congratulating myself on not turning any heads when I do encounter a pedestrian, I find a place that boasts drinks but does not have the music turned up so loud it will hurt my ears. If I had expected a seedy bar, I am 

sadly disappointed. The place stinks of cleaning materials and drink, but is awkwardly clean except for that. I decide to ignore the oddness of it. Earthlings live an easy life; this is possibly as seedy as they get. I walk straight to the bar and order a drink.

“What would you like to have?” the man asks me as several of the patrons look my way with interest. 

“Whatever you think is good,” I decide. You Earthlings certainly know your foods, so I figure you will know your drinks as well.

I am not disappointed. The drink is cold and foamy but refreshing. I chug it down and find myself grinning at a lone female next to me. She is overripe and has an abundance of paint on her face, but I am in a good enough mood to overlook this. 

“Give me something else,” I call out to the barman. 

He gives me an odd look. Like he expects something. Then sighs and poors me some clear liquid. 

It is completely different. Cold, but burns down my throat. I like this too and drain the glass. 

“Something else!” I call. 

The barman clears his throat. “Of course, but you do realize you need to pay, sir?”

I  _ what? _

The look I give him must have been clear, but the barman is undeterred. “As they say, nothing in life is ever free…”

Ah, there we go with your silly Earthling sayings again. Don't you ever get sick of them? And yet.... 

Again, the bartender pushes. “I need money before I give you more,  _ sir _ .”

Yes, of course I know about money. I didn't work in an organisation called Planet Trade Federation without knowing money is involved in trade… I just… never used any currency myself. I went on missions, I came back. Anything I needed was provided for. Anything I wanted I took. No one ever questioned this.

I eye him, wondering what will happen if I just blast this ingrate. I guess I’ll have myself another escalation on my hands pretty fast. Like the military showing after Nappa blasted that Earth town. And then the Earthling fighters will show up, the half-breed traiter.. the Nameks. Where are the human fighters anyway? A quick scan of the planet gets me nothing, so they’ll be hiding their power levels. Or sleeping? No; more like they’re following me. Could be keeping an eye on me right here, in this very bar.. was I followed? Honestly, I’ve been so giddy up until this point I didn't even check.

Is this a test? A trap! Fah, the whole bar might be rigged with human fighters I had yet to meet. Sure, I know what must have been the strongest bunch. Most of those are dead; or were. Perhaps they’ve been resurrected as well? Are they even waiting for me to reveal myself as an enemy? Perhaps all they need is me nice and drunk…

Do they know I have yet to recuperate? Can they all sense my power level? I was getting pretty good at hiding it, yet I have no intel on if it is fooling these Earthlings, that are years ahead at me in that regard. I can’t chance it; don’t have enough intel. I thought I had enough intel last time, and it went bad. Now I have nothing. Except the knowledge that you Humans do take offence at any spilling of blood even if it’s just some useless nobody.

“Ow, Gene.” The woman next to me addresses the barman and bats her eyelashes. “Never mind, I will pick up his tap.”

“No!” I growl, suddenly disgusted by the woman. Nothing for free; words I know to be true. And I’ll be damned if I build up a debt to these pathetic creatures. I just got my freedom, I’ll not lose it again. 

“I will get..” something. From somewhere. What do these people use for currency anyway?

“Ok,” the barman nods. “Can I have something for collateral. An ID? Or driver’s licence?”

I don't even understand what those are, but it doesn't even matter. I have nothing. What was your human expression? Nothing but the shirt on my back?

No, that’s not mine either.

I feel tricked; humiliated. I wonder briefly if you Earthlings have simply invented this system to catch me in it. Yet I am reasonably sure such intrigue is beyond your people. Sorry human, but you are a simple lot. It is one of your redeeming features, honestly…

With an angry growl I make the decision and pull the shirt over my head, not even bothering with the buttons. Nor do I bother with the cat-calls and comments; I stalk out the door as fast I can. Only when I am up high in the air do I allow an angry snarl.

I know where to go, but I am not pleased about it. Nothing in life is ever free..

There is only one place I can go, yet it irks me to be reduced to this. I squint angrily at the door in front of me, absurdly aware that I have been standing in a dark corridor without a shirt on for over a minute now. Somewhere, at some time, something has gone seriously awry. The whole universe should have been at my feet by now, begging. And yet, here I am, in a dark hallway, in front of the woman’s room.

I find myself considering blowing up this wretched, idiotically comfortable residence. Capsule Corp at night is as infuriatingly peaceful as it is at day. All is quiet, dark, with only a faint hum from electronics to break the night’s calm. It’s like the place is  _ daring _ me to end it.

I dismiss the idea with an angry snort and knock. 

Alright, Human. I  _ pound _ . Yet I am careful not to break that flimsy door. There is no response though, even on my second and less controlled bout of knocks.

Is she asleep? I didn't hear any snoring inside. Regardless, I would not care if she was. I require her right now, and I refuse to wait on her for another second. So I accompany my third round of knocks with an even, not at all desperate sounding command: “Woman? Woman, open up!”

I finally get a reply but from the wrong place: an ‘eep’ across the hallway. That blasted woman’s mother stares at me through a half-opened door. She fans a hand in front of her face, then makes to close the door. Just before it shuts, however, she opens it back again for a moment and gives me a hand sign: a thumb and index finger making a circle as she mouths something at me.

I think it was ‘good luck’. 

My eyebrow twitches as I look at the now re-closed door down the hall. It takes all of my willpower to stay where I am, completely still. I force the ki trying to gather at my fingertips back down, force myself not to decimate this entire planet. I start a mantra in my head to give me strength. _ Still worth the food. Still worth the food.  _

I am so distracted by this herculean effort not to kill the ditz that I completely miss the door in front of me opening until it shuts back in my face.

I curse.

“Woman, open up.”

Oddly, instead of the sass she’s given me all day, all I hear now is a nervous giggle. “Sorry. Not interested. Appreciated, but I’m ah- involved.”

I am not sure what she is referring to, but it can only be bad. An odd heat rises to my cheeks. “Woman, stop being … odd.. I just need some currency.” 

The woman babbles, all her high tones and flustered noises muffled by the door between us. I cannot understand any of it, but perhaps she is as confused as I am. I breathe deeply, and pray for patience. “I went out. I had some drinks. I was not aware I needed to ..pay.”

I press my palms against the door, willing it to open. More and more I am unsure I can do this at all, to live in this world where nothing makes sense, this place where war is a fairytale and death is fixed with a simple wish. I thought I could blend in, but perhaps I was wrong... 

It is odd. I have been dreaming of this day for so long. I always told myself I was not having fun on Nappa’s little outings between missions because I knew it for a temporary, fake freedom. And yet, on this beautiful lush world where everything I could envision and more is at my fingertips, it all still comes tumbling down. 

Thankfully, the door finally opens and the blue-haired woman stands and squints at me, dressed in a covering bathrobe. “Well, why didn’t you say so in the first place?”

I am inclined to say  _ I just did _ . I would like to scream at her to at least take the edge off. But more than anything I just want this ridiculous encounter over with. So I simply cross my bare arms as she walks over to her dresser and picks out some worthless looking papers from her purse.

“This should suffice,” she says, and holds them out to me. Simple, matter-of-fact, and in command of the situation. 

I do not accept her offering. It is what I came for, but it is too easy. I know better; those little warning lights in my head flash. Where is the bartering, or at least a demand for something required in return later? How great of a fool does she take me for?

You question my reasoning, human? Do you suggest I take her gifts at face value? Yes, I have taken quite a few already, but at that point I still believed it fear to be her motivator. But it’s not. This one is not afraid of me; she does not see to my every need just for the favor of getting to live another day. 

No, this woman may be lacking in physical strength, but she and her family have obviously amassed a great deal of power. Their lack of fighting capabilities just proves they have other, more covert ways, to assert control over others. I will not fall prey to such games. Not ever again.

She seems to snatch the thought right out of my mind, proving my point in the process. “Don't mention it.”

I growl. “What?”

She shrugs. “You are welcome!”

Ah... you would call me paranoid, would you, human? But I am no fool. I know you Earthlings and your common courtesies. You use words like “thank you”, “please”, and “I beg your pardon” like they mean nothing. I know better. Words mean everything, they always do.

I consider leaving now and just letting her stand there with that outstretched arm full of green papers while I go to my room and forget this this night entirely. To leave the innkeeper with my shirt, not that it was really mine to begin with.

Yet before I can follow through, she offers again: “It’s nothing. From what I hear, without you none of us would have made it back from Namek alive.”

I still sneer at her, unable to contemplate that anyone would so readily relinquish the high ground. Some foolish part of me even suggests that she might be sincere. She seals the deal with a weak smile. “For that, we owe you a lot more than a little spare change, right?”

I pounce on the offer and take her silly earth money. 

“That’s right, Woman. You owe me. You all owe me big! Remember that.” I turn, currency in hand, and flee before this victory can be taken from me.


End file.
